


The Next Voyage

by mondaiboi



Series: wrestling pirate au [1]
Category: Professional Wrestling, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pirate, Background Relationships, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Plot Twists, lots of characters im not tagging all of them, pirate au motherfuckers :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-10-22 23:15:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17671982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mondaiboi/pseuds/mondaiboi
Summary: The year is 1716, in the midst of the Golden Age of Piracy. The seven seas are swamped with pirate ships, searching for treasure. Some crews search for gems, some search for gold, but some search for legendary objects which are said to bring their holders great power. And in this world, only the fiercest pirates will get their hands on such prized possessions.basically its just a wrestling pirate au because i like to have fun. thanks





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> so this is kinda wild but a while back i had an idea for an au fic because, yknow, kairi sane is the pirate princess and i love her. I started writing this in nov 2018 and i’ve been working on it on and off, i’m so glad to finally have the first chapter done! I’ll be adding to this slowly but surely, and i have several more chapters drafted up. This fic is mostly because i had a cool idea but also because i wanted to write more and this helps me practice my writing. It probably won’t be perfect, i’m not an amazing writer or anything but i really hope you enjoy reading! Also i did actually do a bit of research about this but it’s not really that historically accurate or anything so yeah don’t expect that lol. I do use some historic sailing and pirate terminology thought and if that’s confusing for you there’s a guide in the notes at the end of the chapter.

_ The year is 1716, in the midst of the Golden Age of Piracy. The seven seas are swamped with pirate ships, searching for treasure. Some crews search for gems, some search for gold, but some search for legendary objects which are said to bring their holders great power. And in this world, only the fiercest pirates will get their hands on such prized possessions.  _ _   
_ _ We find ourselves on the deck of the  _ Princess of the Sea _ , a ship led by a pirate small in stature yet great in strength. The crew is preparing for their latest quest: capturing the Lyre of Orpheus, a fabled instrument said to play music that blocks out even the horrendous songs of the sirens.  _

 

“Maybe we should just walk.”

Dakota swallowed nervously as she watched Elias and Asuka leaning off the crow’s nest, assess the rocky cliff jutting out of the side of the coastal mountain. 

“Climbing is the quickest way,” Ricochet replied. He stood next to her confidently, arms crossed as he gazed up at the jagged white rock. “Hiking up that? It would take us at least a day- Velveteen and Aleister said we’d have to swing around the island, back towards the waterfall.” Dakota sighed. The thought of climbing up the craggy rocks made her stomach turn, but she knew sailing back to the waterfall would take time that they could not afford to lose. She turned to a short woman angling a spyglass up the treacherous ridges of sharp stone.

“Captain Sane, I... I don’t know if I’m the right person to send on this mission.” she confessed. “I mean, why not send someone else from the rope crew?” she gestured back towards Ricochet. “I’m the quartermaster, I’m not fit for this.”

The captain collapsed her telescope and looked up at the member of her crew. 

“Dakota, you are one of the bravest people on this ship. You may be the quartermaster, but that does not mean you cannot fight with all the strength of the rest of us. I believe that you can complete this mission and bring back our treasure.” she assured her. Dakota sighed in defeat, but she could tell that the Captain’s words were genuine. 

“Alright, Captain.” she took a deep breath and smiled. “Thank you.” the other woman nodded in response. 

The quartermaster walked back to Ricochet, who had joined Io, the first mate, by the edge of the ship. 

“So... how are we getting up there?” she asked. 

“You’re crazy if you’re tryin’ to climb up there,” another person butted in. It was Pete, who manned the ropes along with Ricochet and several others. 

“Scared of heights, Dunne?” Ricochet cocked an eyebrow with a smirk.

“Ain’t scared of nothin’,” Pete scoffed, elbowing his (boy)friend in the ribs. “You jus’ shouldn’t tease death.”

Elias, the carpenter, climbed down from the crow’s nest and approached the group.

“Your best option is a rope and grappling hook. There should be some below deck, with the repair supplies.”

The sailors fetched their tools and prepared to climb.

“Well, here goes nothing.” Dakota said with a nervous peak in her voice.

-

Miraculously, Dakota had not died. As she lay on the ground, her chest heaving with near-panic from all the times she had almost slipped, she tried to gather herself.

“Are you alright?” Io leaned over her. Next to the first mate, Ricochet grabbed a skin of water from his pack. 

“Have a drink,” he said. Dakota took it gratefully. 

“Where do we go from here?” She asked, standing up and handing the skin back. 

“Into there,” Io pointed to a narrow opening in the mountain, which seemed to lead into a dark passage. 

The three made their way into the passage, the darkness swallowing them. 

“Is it dark all the way through?” Dakota badgered. 

“There should be a light at the end of the hall,” Io said. 

After several minutes of walking in the pitch black, with the occasional unidentified rodent skittering over their feet, the group could see a light around the next bend in the narrow passage. When they turned, they couldn’t believe their eyes. They were standing in one of the numerous entries in a vast cavern, with a pool of crystalline water in front of them. In the middle of the water a stalagmite jutted out, the top carved out to act as a display for their treasure: a golden lyre, glowing with a dim light. 

“Ricochet,” Io turned to her crewmate. She gestured towards the instrument. Ricochet knew his job- he waded into the waist-deep water, half swimming and half walking towards the lyre. As he reached for it, there was a single shot of gunfire which narrowly missed his hand and the lyre. An unfamiliar voice rang out in the cavern. 

“I wouldn’t, if I were you.” 

The three turned to see four other individuals standing at one of the other entrances: two men, one with a flintlock aimed at Ricochet, and two women. 

The man with the gun was the one who had spoken. He was on the shorter side and didn’t seem all that muscular, but talked with a certainty that assured them that he would not hesitate to pull the trigger. He had a polite smirk plastered underneath a quaint mustache, as if his words were a helpful suggestion and not a threat.

“Good aim, Jack. Io Shirai, how nice to see you.” one of the women said. She had long blonde hair that flowed over her shoulders and an aura of pride and majesty, shown by the gems decorating her practical yet luxurious outfit.

“Captain Charlotte Flair. I don’t believe I can say the same.”

The woman mock frowned. “Oh, that’s a shame. I was expecting you to be thrilled. Anyways, we’ll be taking that off your hands now.” She nodded towards the lyre which Ricochet’s arm was still outstretched towards. “Drew, please retrieve the lyre.” The man not holding a gun stepped forward, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. He rolled up his pants, preparing to get into the pool.

Io flashed glances at Dakota and Ricochet, communicating with her eyes that they needed to get the lyre at all costs.

“I’m afraid we cannot do that.” She drew her sword. 

“You’re outnumbered,” the redhead woman next to Captain Flair smirked. “Don’t even try.” 

Dakota clenched her fists. Her stomach swam with a burning concoction of fear and anger. She had to do something. In a blur of movement, she grabbed a throwing knife from her sash of them and sent it flying into their enemy’s flintlock, splitting it in half. 

There was a beat before the redhead said, 

“You shouldn’t have done that, lass,” and drew her sword. Ricochet lunged for the lyre as Jack attempted to shoot, but the knife had split his gun nearly in two. By the time he reached for the other pistol, Ricochet was swimming out of the pool. He narrowly avoided the gunfire, crawling out of the pool and tied the lyre to his chest with a scarf. By then, everyone had drawn their weapons. Io and Dakota parried the swords of Charlotte and the redhead, possibly her first mate, while the man called Drew unsheathed a pair of daggers and headed for Ricochet, who drew his rapier in response. 

Both sides got close to shedding blood, but no one was hurt until Dakota ducked under Charlotte’s cutlass and threw a knife past her head and into Jack’s hand. He cried out and dropped his gun, which had been loaded and trained on Ricochet moments before.

The redheaded woman was distracted by her ally’s wail of pain, and reacted to a strike by Io too late. She dropped her sword to reach for her arm, which was now dripping with blood. 

“Charlotte, we need to pull back!” she shouted.

“That’s not your call, Becky! Keep fighting!” Charlotte ordered. Dakota advanced on the redhead, kicking her sword back. 

Meanwhile, Ricochet dodged a stab from Drew and countered with a kick to the chest, causing him to stumble and fall back into the pool. 

“Three men down, Captain! We can’t keep going!” Becky shouted. Io and Charlotte continued to clash blades. 

“Pull Drew out of the water, he can keep going,” the captain instructed between breaths. However, it seemed that the crew of the Majesty was outdone, because Io swept Charlotte’s legs out under her. 

“Go!” the first mate shouted to her crewmates. Ricochet and Dakota scrambled for the exit, and she soon followed. As they sprinted they could hear Charlotte screaming in rage behind them. 

They ran down the narrow corridor, shuffling quickly through the dark. As they neared the end of the tunnel, Ricochet shouted:

“We need to jump!” 

“Onto the ship? We’ll break our legs!” Dakota said.

“Into the water, they can help us back onto the ship!” 

When they reached the cliff, Ricochet leaped off the edge, diving into the water. Dakota attempted to follow his grace, but panicked last moment and ended up tripping and flailing on her way down to the ocean. She could hear the splash of Io above her, and someone tugging at her jacket, which seemed to reactivate her brain: she needed to swim. She kicked up to the surface and gasped for air, looking around for her friends. Ricochet was treading water, and Io popped up next to him a moment later.

“What the hell are you doin’?!” a voice cried. Pete was leaning over the edge of the ship, staring at the three in shock. 

“Well, if you would give us some help, we’d be getting on the boat.” Ricochet yelled back. The other man shook his head in disbelief before motioning over two more members of the rope crew, Kalisto and Gran Metalik. They threw a rope over the side of the ship, which their crewmates climbed up. 

Once aboard, Io ordered the rope crew to hoist the sails and signaled the helmsman to get ready to steer out. The sailors worked quickly, and the boat began.

As they pulled away from the island, the crew looked back to see Charlotte, flanked by the bleeding redhead, glaring down at them. 

A woman with gnarled hair and wide eyes ran up. “Did you get it? Didja, didja?” 

Io nodded. “Yes, Nikki, we did.” She grinned and clapped, then dashed away to alert the captain. 

Ricochet slumped down on the deck, unstrapping the lyre from his chest. Dakota joined him. 

“Good job back there- you saved my life.” he nodded towards her. She smiled back.

“I’m just glad I could help.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new ship's crew is introduced. Celebration aboard the Princess of the Sea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry im late with this i was just workin on editing one part of it which im still not super happy abt how it turned out but whatever man its not bad ! anyways hope yall enjoy

_ The crew of the  _ Princess _ succeeded on their mission. Yet while they celebrate, morale is low on the  _ Majesty _ , the ship captained by Charlotte Flair. Her first mate, Becky Lynch, was injured during their fight with Io and Dakota. In the medic’s cabin, she contemplates the future.  _

 

“You seem not present, Madame Lynch.” 

Becky gazed into the distance as the ship’s medic, Bray, cleaned her wound. She had spoken few words since leaving the island, and the rest of the crew gravitate away from her, as if they saw a stormy cloud forming over her head.

“We failed, Bray. Again.” she glared at the floor, a mixture of disappointment and disgust burning in her stomach. “When was the last time we succeeded on a quest? When was the last time we looted a king’s ship, or took down a whole crew of soldiers?” Bray wrapped a clean bandage around Becky’s arm, his expression as wise and mysterious as usual.

“You see the crew as a failure, Madame?”

Becky shook her head. “No, no. This crew is my family, the only one I’ve ever known. They could never fail me. But it’s been ages since we’ve seen any new treasure loaded onto our ship.” 

“Perhaps, Madame Lynch, you should see what you could do about that.” 

Becky cocked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“That is for you to decide.” he smiled knowingly. 

Becky was quiet before thanking the medic and walking up the stairs to the deck. Crew members were scattered around at their stations, solemn looks on their faces. At the front of the ship a man in a long coat and a thin scarf tied around his head stood with his arms crossed, looking out at the sea. Becky approached him.

“Miz, where’s the captain?” 

“In her quarters. Did you even try to look for her?” the second mate retorted, barely even glancing at her.

Becky sighed and rested her elbows on the side of the ship. “No... I can’t even stand to see her face right now.”

“Even the first mate’s mad at her, huh?” Miz smirked. 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Becky scoffed. “She disregarded her crew’s injuries to try to get the treasure, Miz. I know we’ve had too many failures and we could have used the treasure, but not at the expense of others. A captain never endangers her crew.”

Miz stared across the choppy waves silently. 

“...Sorry, did that hit too close to home?”

He did not give an answer, but instead asked, “What would you do if you were the captain?”

“If I were the captain?” Becky repeated. “...A crew is not just a captain and her lackeys. It is a unit, a team. A captain should listen to their crew and hear out their worries.” 

Miz was silent before responding. “Maybe if you were captain, Daniel would still be here.” An underlying bitterness dripped from his words. “Charlotte’s going to make what decisions she wants. By now, everyone knows that. This ship is in disarray.” he turned and began to walk away before pausing and looking back at Becky.

“Maybe if our leader thought more like you, it wouldn’t be like this.”

He disappeared below the deck.

 

That night, Becky hung in her hammock staring at the ceiling. Miz was right, something needed to change. Bray was considered a bit looney aboard the ship, but his vague words often opened new doors for the crew. 

“ _ That is for you to decide. _ ”

Becky knew what she needed to do. She closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep. Tomorrow, she’d need it- it was going to be an eventful day.

 

Back on the  _ Princess  _ that same night, a party raged. The ship was lit up with laughter and happy singing. A successful quest was means for celebration, so at dinner that night they cast the anchor down and brought out the ale. Elias got out his guitar, playing songs and getting the crew to sing along. 

The helmsman, Aleister, was a stoic man, but on nights like these even he cracked a smile.

Akira, a member of the cannon crew, brought out some fireworks from below the deck and climbed up to the crow’s nest to set them off. The ship was bathed in glittering gold and sparkling red light. 

The crew was still filled with restless energy, so the chaotic second mate Nikki grabbed her fiddle from below deck and her and Elias began playing fast dance music. Friends and couples began to dance. Naomi, the head of the rope crew, danced with her partners Asuka and Jimmy.

Meanwhile, a small group made up of several ropers- Lince, Kalisto, and Tyler Bate- and a gunner, Trent, schemed amongst themselves. Lince and Kalisto ran over to Ricochet, who was standing by a table in the middle of a conversation with Dakota. They grabbed him by the shoulders and steered him over to the dancefloor. Pete was seated nearby, taking a drink from a mug of ale, before Tyler grabbed it out of his hand and placed it back on the table. 

“What’re you-” Pete began to say, before Trent picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, carrying him to the dancefloor. Both of the pairs shoved the two men towards each other. Pete rolled his eyes at his friends, and Ricochet blushed and laughed before offering Pete his hand. Pete shrugged, and took it. 

 

The party went through the night, but on the  _ Majesty, _ spirits were still low.

 

Becky was always up early to take over for Sheamus and Cesaro at the helm and ring the wakeup bell. Soon, the crew was up and tending to the ship. This was the time for Becky to execute her plan. She pulled Jack aside, ordering him to cast the anchor and gather the crew up on the deck. Once everyone had arrived, Becky knocked on the doors of the captain’s quarters. Charlotte stuck her head out, clearly not happy with the disturbance.

“This better be important.” she snapped at her first mate. Becky’s fists tightened, but she maintained her composure. 

“Very.” 

She led the captain to the deck, where the rest of the crew was standing for the meeting.

“What would the first mate like to announce?” Charlotte crossed her arms and waited for Becky to respond.

“Well, Captain, I would like to express a concern that I, and- I believe- the rest of the crew possesses.”

Charlotte sighed in annoyance but gestured for Becky to continue.

“As you know, a captain cannot operate without her crew. There needs to be someone to plot out courses, man the helm, fire the cannons, rig the sails. If not for these people-” Becky gestured to her crew members, “-you would simply be a woman with a ship.”   
“Are you questioning my authority?” Charlotte cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh, no, no, Captain Flair!” she held up her arms in defense. “I’m just suggesting that, perhaps, you listen to us. After all, if we didn’t listen to  _ you _ , well, you wouldn’t be the captain.” 

Charlotte looked taken aback. She stepped closer to her first mate, the crew seeming to cower behind her.

“Becky, who is in charge here?” 

“Well, madame, you are. However, if someone were to, say,  _ challenge _ you- we all know what happens. A duel, winner takes the ship.”

“Are you suggesting a  _ mutiny _ ?” 

Becky shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s not mutiny, m’am, simply pirate law. I believe mutiny was what happened to Sasha.”

The name seemed to send a wave of silence across the ship. 

Charlotte’s icy laugh betrayed any sense of humor. 

“Oh, no, Becky. Did you really forget?  _ You  _ were the one who took her spot.”

“Only after your suggestion.” She grinned with a polite mockness in response.

“I would never betray my own crew in such a way.”

“But you did!” Becky paced slowly in front of the crew. “You told me to take Sasha’s spot, and did nothing to defend your childhood friend. You broke her trust- and her heart.” she shook her head. “Stabbing your own first mate in the back- it’s disgraceful. Not to mention, countless injuries on the crew due to  _ your  _ ignorance. You constantly endanger us in your missions, which has unfortunately led to the death of one of our own.” Becky met Miz’s eyes in the crowd, a silent show of sympathy. “Everyone here knows that you are responsible for Daniel’s death, god rest his soul.” 

Charlotte was speechless. 

“A captain listens to her crew, she trusts their judgement, and she cares about them.” 

The captain interrupted her. “This life has its tolls, Becky. Everyone here knows  _ that _ . I feel as bad about Daniel as you do, but it was not my fault. He knew the risk of going on the mission, he could have chosen to stay behind.” her seemingly polite words turned sour when a sneer fell on her face. “How  _ dare _ you accuse me of such a thing.”

Tension lay thick in the air like fog on an early morning, before a voice broke the silence.

“How dare  _ she _ ?” everyone turned their attention to Miz, who was standing in the back of the group. 

“Becky is not doing anything wrong except telling the  _ truth _ , which you are apparently too afraid of to tell them.” He cut through the crowd to face the captain, pointing a finger at her. “ _ You _ ignored Daniel’s concerns about the number of enemies,  _ you _ did not retreat when he was hurt, and  _ you  _ left him burning on that ship.” his voice was strained and brimming with anger. Charlotte looked panicked, glancing around at the rest of the crew. 

“You didn’t stop yesterday, either, even thought Jack was hurt.” Drew piped up, his hand resting on Jack’s shoulder.

“ _ And _ you said I still have to work the ropes with an injured hand,” Jack joined in.

Soon enough, everyone was jeering Charlotte, stacking complaint upon complaint. 

“Alright, everyone!” Becky shouted, calling attention back to her. “You see how she’s been treatin’ us?” The crew nodded and clamored in agreement.

“Now, I want everyone’s thoughts on this, because unlike  _ some _ , your best interests are also mine... do you want me to challenge Charlotte Flair for leadership?”

The crew cheered and Becky smirked. 

“Well, Captain Flair...” the first mate drew her sword. “I believe it’s clear what the people want.”

“...So be it.” Charlotte drew her weapon as well. 

-

The duel went on for what seemed like ages, both women almost collapsing in their efforts. Minute by minute, the first mate got the advantage over the captain, beating her down slowly. It finally ended with Becky’s blade stabbing into Charlotte’s side. Charlotte crumbled, falling to the deck. She pressed her hands to her wound to stop the flow of blood, but drops of crimson still dripped from between her fingers down to the floor.

The former first mate lifted the captain’s hat off of Charlotte’s head, placing it on her own head of fiery locks. She looked down at Charlotte- there was no fear in her eyes, no sign of her searching Becky’s face for a sliver of sympathy, just rage. 

“Bray,” the new captain beckoned the medic over. She whispered something into his ear, sending him running off below deck. 

“I’m... not... done with you.” Charlotte struggled to her feet, nearly toppling over as she pointed her cutlass at Becky. 

“Oh, Miss Flair, I believe you are.” Becky swept her foot at Charlotte’s shins with a painful  _ thwack _ , causing the other to cry out and fall back to the deck. As she struggled, Becky paid her no mind, approaching the helmsman and navigator, Sheamus and Cesaro, and giving them instructions. In a matter of minutes, they could see a small island with a dense forest in the distance.   
“This is your stop, Charlotte.”

 

-

 

Miles away, another ship was preparing to leave a busy port. The ship was freshly cleaned, and the name had just been repainted on the side; a rich blue read “ _ Neptune’s Dragon _ ” in strong lettering. Crew members rushed around on deck, casting the sails and At the helm stood three men. One of the men was talking with the other two- he had long hair and a beard, and was small in stature, but the other men addressed him as their superior. 

“Dean, Roman, you’ve prepared the course?” 

One man, tall and muscled with long hair, nodded silently. The other, with stringy red hair and a mischievous glint in his eyes, replied.

“Yup! Ready to go whenever, boss.” 

The bearded man thanked them, and walked down the ship, making sure everything was ready to go.

“Finn, is the rope crew ready?” 

“Yes, Sir!”

“Seth, are the cannons cleaned in case of attack?”

“All good, Captain!”

“Gallows, Anderson, do we have enough supplies for the journey?”

“More than enough, Captain.”

When he made his way back to the helm, he was joined by a pale woman with dark hair. 

“Are we ready, Captain Bryan?”

The captain nodded, and the woman gave a signal down to the rope crew. The sails were hoisted, and billowed with the fresh breeze. Neptune’s Dragon coasted off towards the sun. 

  
  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> yo this kinda sucks but i'm not super invested in this anymore? there should be more chapters tho ! also i have another fic that i think is better than anything else i've written so far so ill post than when i finish it

Two Years Ago

Daniel Bryan awoke to voices echoing around him.  
“Is he even alive?” a woman asked in a thick British accent. He felt someone’s fingers pressed against his throat.  
“He has a pulse, Paige.” another woman said. Daniel opened his eyes and observed his surroundings. He appeared to be in a medic’s cabin aboard a ship- how he knew that, he didn’t know. He was lying on a straw mattress, the two women talking quietly with their backs to him.   
He slowly opened his mouth.   
“Who... are you?” he asked. He could barely recognize his own voice, it was scratchy and hoarse as if he had been swallowing sand. The women turned around.  
“You’re awake!” the British one said, clearly surprised.   
“Where am I?”   
The other woman, a colorful bandana covering her head, looked at her friend, then gave Daniel a sympathetic look. “You’re on a cargo ship,” she replied. “We found you among a shipwreck. How are you feeling?” Rather than answering the question, Daniel sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed.   
“No, don’t-” the woman with the bandana exclaimed, running to stop him. Before she could, Daniel fell to the floor and blacked out again.

When Daniel woke up again, he was back on the bed. In the chair next to him, the woman with the bandana sat. She was dabbing his forehead with a warm washcloth.   
“Are you feeling any better?” she asked. Her voice sounded echoey and faint, and every word caused Daniel’s skull to pound. He shook his head weakly.   
“...Do you remember what happened?”   
“No.” Daniel winced, speaking caused his head to ache even more.   
“Do you remember anything?” the woman asked with concern. Daniel racked his brain for any shred of a memory, but there was little to share.  
“...My name is Daniel Bryan, and...” he hesitated. “I don’t know anything else.” The woman frowned, as though his pain hurt her as well.  
“Well, Daniel, it’s nice to meet you, despite the circumstances. My name is Bayley, I work on this ship and I double as the medic.”   
Bayley continued chatting quietly, and later went to fetch Daniel some food. After eating, he drifted back to sleep.

The next time he woke up, a different person was sitting next to him: a man with shoulder length black hair and stubble framing his face. He was tying knots with a length of rope. He seemed frustrated, and kept undoing the rope as if he was unsatisfied with the knots. The man was so focused, he only stopped what he was doing when Daniel sat up in the bed.  
“Oh!” the man looked up quickly. “I’m Mustafa, Bayley’s on her lunch break so I took over for her. How are you feeling?” he smiled softly kindly idk.   
“My head doesn’t hurt as much, but I still can’t seem to remember much.” Daniel frowned. “Are you trying to tie a certain knot?” he gestured toward the rope.   
Mustafa looked down at it, looking discouraged.  
“Yeah, I’m trying to tie a sheepshank, but it’s hard to get.” The word sheepshank seemed to trigger something in the back of Daniel’s mind.  
“...May I?” he asked. Mustafa nodded and handed the length to him. Daniel made several loops and folds in the rope, weaving until he had the sheepshank knot.   
“Whoa! Are you a sailor, too?” Mustafa asked.  
“I... I don’t know.” Daniel handed the rope back to him.  
“Well, you must be, I doubt anyone who doesn’t sail knows that knot.” 

Over that next year, Daniel healed and started working aboard the cargo ship, proving to be one of the best sailors the crew had ever seen. Yet he still couldn’t get many memories back; he knew that he sailed before, but not the ship he had sailed on; he remembered traveling to many places, but couldn’t remember exactly where; he remembered names but no faces. Sometimes he had dreams about the wreck- light rain falling from the gray sky, hissing as it hit the flames across the ship, a man screaming his name and cursing the sea. He would wake up in a cold sweat every time.  
After some time, he made a pact with Paige, Bayley and Mustafa: once their contracts on the cargo ship were done, they’d form a crew and adventure the seas. When that day finally came, they pooled their savings to buy a good-sized ship and gather a ragtag team of sailors and adventurers. The crew of the Neptune’s dragon quickly became tight-knit, and Daniel felt he had finally found a home. But the ghosts of his old life still weighed in the back of his mind. 

Present

When she finally awoke, Charlotte was surprised to find herself in the cabin of a ship. She was lying on a filthy straw mattress on the floor, a worn blanket thrown over her. Metal strips criss-crossed into a cage wall, preventing her from leaving. Her shoes were missing and her shirt torn and stained with blood. She suddenly remembered what had happened- Becky’s sword stabbing into her side as she stole Charlotte’s crown. She pulled up her shirt and saw that the wound had been bandaged.   
“Apologies for the conditions, Miss Flair. We have to be cautious.” A scraping voice startled Charlotte from her daze. A bald man with a brown and grey beard and piercing eyes stood on the other side of the holding cell. Charlotte stood up and brushed herself off, managing to stand proudly despite her fatigue.  
“Who are you, and where am I? And how do you know my name?” she demanded.   
“First and second question: I am Captain Tommaso Ciampa, and you are on my ship, the Blackheart.” Charlotte could feel herself recoil in disgust as he spoke while pacing back and forth. She knew of the Blackheart and its notorious crew.   
“Third question, how could I not? Your father was a pioneer among pirates, he was one of the first and most infamous of us.”   
Charlotte scowled. “And why am I on your ship?”   
“Ah, I suppose that’s important. Well, my crew found you washed up on the shore of an island that we happened to be heading to for... private reasons. They dragged you aboard in quite a crude fashion, planned to kill you until I stopped them. We couldn’t have the blood of a Flair on our hands, now, could we?” He stopped pacing. “There’s another reason we kept you alive... I would like to make an alliance.”  
“With your crew of mongrels? Why would I ever want that?” Charlotte scoffed. Tommaso’s eye twitched, and he stepped closer to the bars of the cell, his nose almost touching the iron bars. In a calm yet threatening tone, he said:  
“I urge you to tread carefully, Miss Flair. Believe me, if you give them the slightest reason to, those mongrels will tear you apart.” He stepped back and continued pacing.   
“As I was saying, I would like to make an alliance. But before that, we must trust each other. And for that, I need to know: how did you wind up on that island?” Tommaso took a chair from the corner of the room and moved it next to the cell, and sat down, a look of anticipation on his cruel face.   
Charlotte figured if she didn’t go along with the captain, he would send his pack of feral soldiers on her, so she sat down on the dirty floorboards and told him everything: the failed mission, the mutiny by her crew, being thrown overboard and passing out on the shore of the island. Tommaso did not say a word until she finished.   
“Betrayed and left for the gulls by your own crew... you must be planning a painful revenge for them.”   
Charlotte nodded at that. “Mostly for my former first mate- Becky Lynch will regret the day she challenged me.”   
“Ah, but for such a plot, a crew couldn’t hurt.” He smirked.   
“I suppose you’re right.”  
“Now, Miss Flair, I would like to offer you to be my first mate and join us on our current mission. If we succeed, I can promise you that this Becky Lynch will die a slow and painful death she deserves for her treachery.”   
“What’s in it for you?” Charlotte crossed her arms.   
“An alliance with the Flair dynasty would truly make us the deadliest force in all the seven seas. We would be unstoppable.” his eyes flickered with cruel power. “So, what do you say, Miss Flair?”  
Charlotte thought for a moment before standing and sticking a hand through the cell bars. The captain of the Blackheart shook it.   
“Good choice.” He took a ring of keys from his belt and unlocked the door to the cell, letting Charlotte out.   
“We’ll get you some new clothes and a meal soon. But keep in mind that the crew will want you to prove yourself. Keep a keen eye.”   
After a brief tour of the ship, a bell rang aboard the ship, and Captain Ciampa escorted Charlotte to the dining hall. The table quickly filled up with a crew of the most vicious pirates Charlotte had ever seen. Ciampa sat at the head of the table, and gestured for her to sit in the chair to his right. She took the seat, and another woman settled down across from her a moment after. Ciampa has introduced the woman to Charlotte during the tour; she was named Shayna, and she was in charge of the cannon crew. Shayna resembled a pitbull: focused, glaring eyes and a permanent snarl. Eventually, a couple more crew members brought in pots of stew and trays of bread, and the meal was in full swing. Charlotte had expected them to serve some sort of gruel, but the food was hearty and warmed her from the inside.   
After almost everyone had finished their meal, Shayna broke her silence.  
“So, you’re the first mate now?” her words seemed less like a question and more like a challenge. Before Charlotte could answer, the other woman spoke again.  
“You can’t lead us if we don’t trust you. The only reason our wild crew sticks together is because of trust.”  
“So, would you like me to prove that you can trust me?” Charlotte inquired calmly, despite Shayna’s threatening tone.   
“Oh, no, Charlotte. It’ll take more than one night to win our trust. But you can start by showing us your strength. She stood up and drew a pair of poniards- short, slim daggers. Charlotte followed her lead, and reached for her belt, before realizing that her sword was back on the Majesty.   
“I can’t fight without a weapon.” She turned to Ciampa. The man nodded, and then motioned over a woman with dark hair and lipstick.   
“Ruby, kindly lend Charlotte your sword for a moment. We’ll get her own if she survives.”  
Ruby handed Charlotte her cutlass, before muttering: “Good luck, you’ll need it.”  
-  
Turns out, she didn’t need it. Sure, Shayna was strong and precise with her weapons, but she was no match for Charlotte. By the end of the fight, she was panting on the floor of the dining hall with Charlotte’s borrowed sword at her throat. The rest of the crew had been shocked into silence. The captain began clapping slowly.   
“You seem like a good fit for the position.” He commented, an evil glint in his eyes. “What do you say, Shayna?”   
Shayna did not protest, nor did the rest of the crew.

**Author's Note:**

> Terminology:  
> Crows Nest - a structure on the ship that is used for lookout, on top of one of the masts  
> Quartermaster - a naval term for a senior crew member who oversees the quarters or living space on the ship.   
> First mate - the second in command after the captain.  
> Flintlock - an old timey gun basically


End file.
